Lorelai Cloud
2024 Street Wise Mural Festival
Location: Indian Peaks Water, 4747 Pearl St Unit N1 Boulder, CO 80301
Photos by Dona and Niko Laurita, Cam Margera, and Dittlo Digital
“Water is the element of life, it is the essence of life. And when you believe that and you believe that water is there from the Creator, we're meant to take care of it and to be the caretakers of it. From that standpoint, we know that water means more to us than just dollar signs or that it's going to water our crops.” - Lorelai Cloud
Muralist Nico Cathcart hails from Richmond, Virginia. As an out-of-state artist, Nico wanted to take special care to learn about our local climate concerns when planning her mural for the 2024 Street Wise Mural Festival. Water rights appeared frequently during her research. So, the artist sought to spotlight an Indigenous water rights activist, stating “when we talk about climate action, we have to focus and listen to the original stewards of the land.”
Through Daniel Cordalis at the Native American Rights Fund, Nico learned about Lorelai Cloud, Vice Chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council and water rights activist. She is also the first tribal member appointed to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the state’s top water agency.
Nico based her portrait of Lorelai on a photo provided by the tribal council. Lorelai stands in the center of the mural surrounded by the Colorado River. Her black and gray hair cascades in waves around her shoulders. She peers out at the viewer through burgundy glasses and adorned with beaded earrings, necklaces, and shirt. The yellow pond lily flanks her on both sides. Green foliage sprouts from the mountainscape and the blue sky shines overhead.
The yellow pond lily holds significance within the Southern Ute culture. It is an aqueous plant that grows within water, and also an important source of food. Symbolically, the water-bound plant represents Lorelai and Southern Ute’s important efforts in preserving our waterways for future generations. Nico hopes that this mural raises awareness and inspires support for the work of people like Lorelai Cloud in keeping our water clean.
The artist appreciated the synergy between the Indigenous-focused programming during the festival, namely our partnership with Creative Nations. The showcase of Indigenous artists like Al Hubbard and Bruce Cook in the Homelands: Reconnection exhibition. “The proximity to other artists really pushes me to learn and relearn how to think about both art and climate action,” says Nico.
The festival also allows for special collaborations between artists of all media. Deep Space Drive-In projected on Nico’s mural during the Street Wise After Party!
Artist’s Process Notes:
- Nico used a mathematical grid to sketch her design on the wall.
- Nico used Golden Paintworks Mural Paints, pure pigment paints rather than CMYK paints we purchase at places like Home Depot. She has a standard order of primary colors, white, brown and mixes her colors on site!
Artist Bio:
Nico Cathcart is a Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing painter and muralist hailing from Toronto, Ontario, and currently living in Richmond, Virginia. She creates highly-realistic, socially informed intersectional activations on both walls and canvas.
An experienced mural painter, she has worked on walls across the country. You can find her paintings in the permanent collection of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, and her work has been shown at the Hermitage Museum, The Contemporary Arts Network, ABV Gallery, Modern Eden, 111 Minna, Blockfort, Chicago Truborn, and WowXWow.
In 2020, Nico was honored as an Agent of Change for her use of activism in art by the VMHC, and in 2023 her work “Age and Grace” won a National Mural Award. You can find Nico discussing her work in the Emmy-winning documentary Mending Walls, as well as a TEDTalk about her work and disability.
Nico recently worked to curate, and take part in the national campaign, Artists 4 ERA in support of the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. In 2023, Nico was named one of the Top 40 Artists to Watch by Culture Candy and Up Street Art Magazine. Recently Nicos work has been published in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, and she was highlighted as 1 of 50 influential women muralists in the book “Street Art by Women.”